When The Darkness Strikes
by Forever a Cookie
Summary: Sequel to Frozen. The Great Freeze is over and Hans is long gone from Arendelle, but a new threat looms on the horizon. The adventures are just beginning. The appearance of a strange boy raises a host of new questions and possibilities. What if Elsa wasn't alone? What if there were others? What is this new threat? And what waits around life's next bend? Stick around and find out.
1. Prologue - Wolves

**My first Frozen FanFic. Hope you enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: Frozen? Not mine.**

**Prologue - Wolves**

_**Fifteen years earlier**_

The boy was cold. The boy was exhausted. The boy was starving. And the boy was alone.

He stumbled through the mountain woods, head pounding, feet numb, wishing with all his heart that he was back home, snuggled in a blanket by the fireplace. But he couldn't go back, he knew that.

His foot caught on a hidden tree root and he fell face-first into the snow. He briefly thought about trying to get up, but dismissed the idea. There was no strength left in him. Even if he did make it to his feet, he wouldn't get far. This was the end.

The boy felt hot tears roll down his face. It seemed incredible that his frozen body could still produce anything so warm. They didn't stay warm for long though, freezing on his cheeks before they could fall.

He didn't want to die. He didn't want to die, and he was terrified. If he was religious he would have prayed to a god, any god; it didn't matter which, to save him, to spare him his icy fate. But he didn't believe in gods.

The people of his village certainly had. They'd believed in gods, and in demons too. Whenever misfortune had threatened their village they whispered that it was all because of the 'demon boy'. When sheep had died and crops failed to fruit, they said that the demon boy had cursed them. They pulled away their children, keeping them safe from the demon boy. And when a fire had destroyed nearly half their town, they were all too happy to place the blame on the supernatural, and finally cast out the demon boy. Him.

The boy tried to sob, but all that came out was a frozen rasp. "I'm not a demon," he croaked. "I'm _not_." Mama had told him he wasn't a demon. He never did any of those things that the villagers said he did. He wasn't a demon, so why was he being punished? Why did he have to die? Why did he have to freeze?

The boy closed his eyes, awaiting his fate, his body trembling with cold, and with sobs that were too frozen to come out.

Then he heard a soft snort and felt a gust of warm air on the back of his neck. He cracked open his eyes.

Standing around him was a pack of wolves. Well, he thought tiredly as his eyes slid shut again, maybe the wolves could finish him quicker than the cold would.

He felt the warm breath on his neck again, and felt the tip of a muzzle against his icy skin. This was it. He waited for the teeth.

They never came. Instead his tattered coat grew taut over his front and he felt himself being lifted off the ground. Opening his eyes in shock, he saw the wolves begin to move away, and he was moving with them.

He was being carried, he realised. One of the wolves had the back of his coat in its mouth, and was carrying him.

Maybe they were taking him back to their den to eat him there, he thought. He wished they would just get it over with.

Soon enough, the den came into sight, a large stone cavern set into the mountainside. High-pitched yapping emanated from within. Of course, the boy thought, they were going to feed him to their cubs.

One by one the wolves padded into the cave, followed soon after by the one carrying the boy. He felt himself being slowly lowered to the ground. He held perfectly still, waiting. Surely now was the time they would kill him.

He was surprised to feel the soft fur of a wolf cub snuggle into his front, soon followed by another. He opened his eyes in bewilderment, to see the wolves settling down around him, tucking paws under tails and closing their eyes.

He looked up to see the wolf that had carried him here, a white she-wolf. She met his eyes, snorting softly.

He understood what she meant. He always understood what the animals were trying to say. He could talk to them. He'd forgotten that.

The wolf was telling him to sleep. With no strength left to refuse, he closed his eyes and yawned softly. He felt the she-wolf settle at his back. She was warm, so very warm, her body heat almost scorching to his still cold skin. He snuggled closer to her without thinking, sighing in relief.

A smile crept onto his face. He was still hungry, and he was still tired. But now he could sleep. He was warm. And for the first time in days, he was not alone.

**Review please :) More to come soon. I promise, you'll see your favourite Snow Queen next chapter.**


	2. Chapter 1 - Earth

**Second chapter in one day! I just really wanted to get the ball rolling more and leave you guys with a little more than just a prologue. So enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Frozen, this would probably be a proper sequel, not a fanfic.**

**Chapter 1 – Earth**

**_One year after the Great Thaw_**

The young man sped through the forest, the wind tearing at his hair, his scarf flapping in the wind. He laughed out loud, the rushing air snatching the sound away as soon as it left his mouth.

The boy was no longer the terrified child who was found by wolves in the snow. The years had been kind to him, and he had grown in more ways than one. Very few things scared him anymore. He was tall now, even for a human, and years of pack life, as well as strenuous training, had given him a strong, lithe body that allowed him to easily keep up with the large black wolf at his side.

Strike that. He wasn't keeping up; he was ahead. The wolf, now just behind him, snapped his teeth in annoyance. He laughed again. "Keep up, Fier!"

The wolf, Fier, growled and pushed himself forward harder, trying to snatch away the lead. The boy responded in kind, pushing himself as fast as his legs would allow.

Their destination came into sight, the stream that was their designated finish line cutting a path through the trees. The boy grinned and coiled his muscles in preparation to jump.

The second his feet touched the rocks on the stream's edge, he sprang into the air, clearing the water in one bound and landing with a thud on the other side. A second later the wolf landed beside him, growling in discontent.

The boy laughed, flopping to the ground. "You're slowing down. I'm wearing all this gear and I still beat you." He gestured to the backpack resting against his spine and the sword that jutted over his shoulder, as well as the knives resting in his belt.

_-You cheated- _Fier snarled.

The boy scowled. "I did not!"

-_You did so. The only reason you were able to catch up in the first place was because I stumbled over that rock.-_

"And what does that have to do with me?"

-_You know very well what that has to do with you.-_

The boy laughed. "Not this time, brother. This time I won fair and square."

Fier growled in dissent, but dropped the subject.

It had been fifteen years since the day that he'd been found in the snow by the wolves. After that day they had become his new family, adopting him into their pack and raising him alongside their own cubs. Three in particular became like family to him; the white she-wolf that had carried him back, along with her two cubs, one of which was Fier.

In the years that followed, the boy had learned the ways of the pack. He adapted their ways with his own, hunting not with teeth and claws (for obvious reasons) but with a knife he had made himself. Eventually he found his way to another nearby village and managed to trade meat for a good set of knives, as well as some new clothes.

As time went on he taught himself to make other weapons; bows and arrows and spears. Every now and again he would make trips to nearby villages, never the same one twice in a row. He never stayed long; while no-one outright called him a demon, they were still unnerved by his appearance.

By the time he was fourteen, he had been welcomed as a full member of the pack. When he'd decided to strike out on his own four years later, Fier had asked to accompany him. The wolves had been sad to see their pack brothers go.

They had given him a gift of sorts as he prepared to leave. One of the elder wolves had just died. -_Take his pelt-_, they told him, _-and wear it so that all may know that you are one of us.-_ Touched, the boy had agreed. It now sat around his shoulders as part of his cloak.

The boy stood and made his way to the edge of the trees, gazing at what lay below him. The city of Arendelle. The next destination on his wanderings. But this time he had a reason for choosing this particular place. Here, he had heard, was another like him.

He pulled his scarf up over his mouth. He liked to remain as anonymous as possible when visiting places like this. He'd deal with the eyes later. He turned to Fier. "Ready to go?"

His wolf brother growled in affirmative. The boy adjusted his pack and prepared to look for a path down the mountain.

Before he could, a scream rang out from the woods behind him.

Without a thought, he and Fier turned and raced back into the forest, towards the source of the sound. The sound of metal on metal met their ears, and they increased their speed.

They burst through the trees into a clearing, and were confronted with the sight of a trio of people under attack by a group of men in masks. The three, two women and a man, were backed up against a sled and the man was using some kind of metal tool to fend off the attackers. One of the women, a redhead, was using what appeared to be a lute to bash one attacker in the face. The other, a blonde in a blue dress, had her hands raised to do something, but before she could complete the action the boy let out a fierce battle cry and leaped into the fray, Fier on his heels.

He ducked a sword swipe by one of the masked men. In an instant his own sword was in his hands, slashing across the masked man's chest. Not a fatal wound, but distracting enough to allow the boy to slam him across the face with the flat of his blade. Not waiting to see the man fall, he swung around just in time to block the blade of another attacker. He slid his own blade across so that the opponent's sword was trapped by his guard.

Sensing an attack from behind, the boy twisted and dodged, simultaneously wrenching his other opponent's sword from his hand. A swift side kick knocked that opponent down as he locked blades with the other. Seeing a fourth man reach up and nock an arrow to a bow, he cursed and removed one hand from his sword.

With his free hand, he made an uppercut motion. Immediately, a pillar of stone erupted from beneath the bowman's feet, knocking him into the air.

The boy barely processed the shocked gasps from the people by the sled as he swung his leg in a sweeping kick. The kick connected with nothing but air, but the wall of earth that rose in response wasn't so ineffective. It slammed into three of the masked men, smashing them into the trunk of a nearby tree.

He twisted his sword, disarming his shocked opponent, before slamming his fist into the man's face.

As the masked man crumpled to the ground, the boy swung around, intending to finish off the last opponent, only to see the blonde woman raise her hands and send a pillar of ice smashing into the unfortunate man.

The boy's jaw dropped open. That could only mean…_Her?_ He turned his eyes to the woman and stared in shock. Of all the people to run into in the middle of the woods….

He glanced around the clearing quickly. Four of the men had been iced to the ground and knocked out. Another one was lying at the feet of the redheaded girl with the lute, and another three looked like they'd taken the blonde man's metal tool in some unpleasant places. One appeared to have been knocked out by the animal at the front of the sled, which the boy now realised was a reindeer. Fier had taken care of the remaining four. In addition to his seven, that was twenty men. He could only assume that they were sent after the woman in the blue dress, who he now knew was the queen of Arendelle.

She was gorgeous, he realised. She was beautiful and regal in her glistening gown, while he was… He didn't even want to think about how he looked in comparison. Scruffy at best. At worst, a wild, unkempt ruffian. That would not make this any easier.

As Fier walked up beside him, the trio tensed, the man raising his tool menacingly.

The boy held out a hand hurriedly. "It's okay! He's a friend." Realising that his sword was still in his other hand, he sheathed the weapon over his shoulder.

The redhead relaxed completely, smiling. Her companions didn't seem so sure, though the man lowered his tool slightly.

All three regarded him curiously. He knew what they were seeing; he was well aware of his strange appearance. His shaggy brown hair was rarely cut, and so hung to his shoulders, framing his face like a mane. A single scar bisected his left eyebrow, just grazed his eyelid and ended on his cheekbone. His apparel marked him as a vagabond, the dirty leather vest and cloth boots, the rough shirt and trousers, the cloak, the knives and the sword all adding to the effect.

Those weren't the strangest parts of his appearance though. When he spoke, they would have seen the longer-than-average canines; not superhumanly long, but enough to stand out.

No, he realised, they wouldn't have seen those. He was still wearing his scarf over his mouth and nose. Not that it would really matter, since the most unsettling parts of his appearance _were_ visible. He cursed himself for not taking care of them before, because now they could see his eyes. His inhumanly yellow eyes.

The queen opened her mouth as if to say something, but before she could a strange creature trundled out from behind the sled. It was….a snowman?

The snowman grinned goofily. "Well, now that's over. Hi! I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!"

The boy blinked, nonplussed. "Um, hi?"

The snowman smiled and bounced happily. The boy briefly wondered at the miniature snowstorm floating above his head, and then decided that it must have been the queen's work.

Said queen now stepped forward. "Thank you for coming to our assistance. I am Queen Elsa of Arendelle. This is my sister, Princess Anna of Arendelle, and Kristoff Bjorgman, Arendelle's Official Ice Master and Deliverer." She indicated the two behind her as she spoke.

Remembering formality, the boy bowed at the waist. "It is an honour to meet you, Your Majesties, Ice Master Bjorgman."

When he didn't deliver his name in exchange, the queen spoke again. "Might we know the name of the man who assisted us so bravely?"

He would have blushed at the compliment, had he not been busy debating with himself whether or not to tell them his name. He hadn't given it to another human since…since he was nine years old.

He glanced around at the waiting faces, lingering on the queen's. Then he glanced at Fier, who met his gaze and nodded once. Instantly, he felt just a little more secure. If Fier trusted them, so could he.

That didn't ease his trepidation much though. He took a deep breath to steel himself, and tugged down his scarf. There was no need for it if they were going to know who he was anyway.

"My name is Kell."

**So there you have it. The characters we all know and love have entered the story.**

**And yeah, that's right: earth powers. Fire powers have already been done, way more than once, and I wanted to do something a little different. If you want Elsa and a guy with fire powers, I highly recommend the fic 'Singed' by TheStanfordExperiment. In fact, that's an order; if you have not read it yet, go read it now!**

**So, what do you think? Review and let me know :)**


	3. Chapter 2 - Past

**Thank you to the people who followed this story and reviewed the last two chapters. You guys are the best!**

**So, much longer chapter this time. There are two reasons for this; one because I just couldn't stop writing, two because I'm leaving for the school holidays, going back home (boarding school). My home is basically paradise on Earth, but it has crappy internet. So I may not be updating for the next two weeks. We'll see. If I can, I will. But if I cant, I'll make sure to have a couple of chapters ready for when I get back.**

**So, the story! I backtracked just a little here to show Elsa's point of view. There's also a slightly more specific description of Kell in there.**

**When you get a bit further down, no I did not misspell "Valley Creek." It's "Valey Creek", with one 'l'.**

**Also further down; Daestyl is pronounced like "Day-still."**

**Disclaimer: _FAN_fiction. Enough said.**

* * *

**Chapter 2 – Past**

The day had started like any other. Elsa had been woken by Anna (as per usual) and practically dragged out of bed (as per usual). Following breakfast there were meetings and paperwork (also as per usual). Things had been a little rough for the kingdom after the Great Freeze, but had since improved.

Anna had practically begged her to take a trip up the mountain with Kristoff that afternoon, so Elsa had made sure her schedule was free and after lunch, Olaf in tow, they headed up the mountain.

She had been expecting a quiet (or at least relatively quiet), enjoyable trip, and maybe a picnic at some point. She had not been expecting to be attacked by a score of men in black masks. Nor had she been expecting a vagabond boy and his wolf to come to the rescue.

She most definitely had not been expecting that boy to have powers.

She was still processing the fact that she had seen this boy raise a wall of earth taller than himself and send a man flying with a pillar of rock.

_I'm not alone._

She couldn't believe it. It seemed like something out of a dream, something too good to be true. In a few short moments a huge part of her life, something that she had taken as fact for so long, had been turned upside down.

_I'm **not** alone._

She studied this him, this stranger who was like her. This strange, shaggy-haired, yellow-eyed boy whose existence meant that there was someone else like her in the world.

He was obviously a traveller. The tanned skin and backpack, as well as his worn, dust-covered clothes, attested to that. His weapons and the scar over his eye gave her the impression that he was well accustomed to the dangers of the world. He was courteous though, as shown by his bow and respectful address.

She saw him glance at the wolf beside him and almost physically started in surprise when it nodded at the boy. Then again, after knowing Kristoff and Sven for some time now, perhaps this wasn't so surprising. He seemed to have the same sort of relationship with this wolf as the ice harvester and reindeer did. In fact, she noted, he looked a bit like a wolf himself with his mane of hair and strange eyes. He held himself in a similar way too. His back was straight and shoulders set back, but he seemed tense and appeared to lean forward just a hint, putting more of his weight on the balls of his feet, as if he were ready to run or strike at any moment. Confident and strong, yet wary at the same time. The posture of a wild hunter.

He seemed to come to a decision, tugging down his scarf and exposing the lower half of his face.

She could now see that his high cheekbones bore a thin scattering of faint freckles, and that his nose was ever so slightly upturned. As his lips parted on an exhale, she noticed that his canines were longer than average, giving them a fang-like appearance which added to his overall wolfish impression.

_He's cute._

She blinked in shock. Where had that come from? Okay yes, maybe he was good-looking, in a scruffy, dishevelled way, but still… Much as she loved Anna, she was not going to emulate her and fall for a man that she'd just met.

He opened his mouth to speak, hesitated, and then said, "My name is Kell."

She smiled slightly. "Then thank you, Kell, for your help. If I might ask, what brings you to Arendelle?"

He shifted in place. "You, actually."

Though more than a little confused, Elsa couldn't help the blush that seeped into her cheeks. Kell seemed to realise what he had said and turned red himself.

"I meant because of this!" he clarified hurriedly. By way of explanation he waved his hand, causing a small cluster of stones to rise from the ground and rotate above his palm.

Understanding, she nodded. "Ah. I must admit, I am curious about that as well." She paused in deliberation for a moment, and then spoke. "Would you care to accompany us back to the palace? This discussion will most likely be a lengthy one, and I think that would be a safer and more appropriate place to conduct it."

Kell nodded. "That's probably for the best." He crouched and prodded the unconscious body of the nearest masked man. "These men were probably sent after you." He removed the mask and turned it over in his hands. It was pure black metal, made to cover the entire upper half of the face. Most of the men here also wore black scarves over their noses and mouths to conceal the rest of their appearances.

As he shifted his arm, the man's cloak fell to one side, revealing a red insignia on his chest.

Kell frowned, waving Elsa over. "Look at this."

Anna and Kristoff on her heels, Elsa moved to take a look at this symbol. It was in the shape of an eye being struck by lightning.

"What does it mean?" Anna wondered.

Kell stood. "No idea. Probably nothing good."

Kristoff frowned. "What are we going to do about them anyway?" He gestured to the black-clad figures littering the clearing. "We can't take them with us."

Kell smirked. "I got it."

He made a series of sweeping motions with his hands. The earth around the masked men shifted and sank, turning them as they went, until each of them was upright and neck-deep in a hole. One more sweep of his hand caused the earth to close over the gaps, effectively burying most of their bodies. Those that Elsa had frozen in place he left alone. They looked so strange and ridiculous that Elsa almost laughed.

Kell dusted off his hands. "I doubt they'll be getting out anytime soon. You can send guards or whatever up for them."

Elsa nodded. "Impressive. Now that that's settled, shall we go?"

Kristoff mounted the sled and took the reins, followed by Anna, with Elsa fitting herself onto the seat beside her sister. Noticing that there was no more room on the seat, Elsa hesitantly gestured to the back, where Olaf had seated himself. "I'm sorry, but do you mind sitting in the back?"

Kell shook his head. "It's okay, I can keep up on foot."

Blinking in surprise, Elsa replied hesitantly. "If you insist…"

Kell nodded and gestured for Kristoff to get going. Glancing at the other boy dubiously, Kristoff cracked the reins and urged Sven forward, slowly so as to allow Kell to keep up.

Rolling his eyes, Kell moved alongside, his long strides easily keeping pace with the sled. Fier loped ahead, scouting the terrain and investigating what he said were rabbit holes. A few times he passed close to the front of the sled and the reindeer shied away.

Kristoff scowled. "Can you keep your wolf away from Sven?"

"His name is Fier," Kell replied tersely, "and he won't hurt your reindeer; he's not that savage. And he's not _my_ wolf."

Fier rolled his eyes. –_That is an insult to my intelligence.-_

Kell said nothing.

After a few minutes of silent travelling he sighed. They were never going to get anywhere at this pace. "You can speed up."

"If we speed up, we'll leave you behind," Kristoff snorted.

"No, you won't," Kell smirked. He turned to Fier, who was now behind him. "Hey, mutt! Race you!"

Fier growled, loping to his adopted brother's side. –_You will not beat me this time, two-legs.-_

Kell grinned, crouching in preparation. "That's what you think. Ready, set, go!" They streaked off through the trees, leaving the sled in the dust.

Elsa's eyebrows rose in surprise. Where had this boy learned to move so fast? One second he was crouched beside the sled with his wolf, Fier, and the next he was off like a shot. Within moments he would be out of sight. She felt a smile tug at her lips, but quelled it. There would be time enough for amazement and admiration later. If they didn't hurry they'd lose him.

Kell heard a yell from Kristoff, who then urged the reindeer to go faster, and smiled in satisfaction. Who said he wouldn't be able to keep up? There was a low rumbling sound as the sled drew closer and Kell's smile widened. So this was a three-way race now huh? Fine by him. By unspoken agreement, he and Fier allowed the sled to pull level with them. When they drew even, Kell smirked challengingly at the three in the front seat, Kristoff in particular, and mouthed 'keep up'. Elsa raised one eyebrow imperiously and Anna's face set into a determined frown. Kristoff grinned fiercely. The message was clear; challenge accepted.

Grinning, he mouthed 'see ya' and allowed more speed to leak into his steps. Leaning forward, he pushed as much power as he could into his legs, lengthening his strides. At his side, he felt Fier do the same. Slowly but surely, they pulled ahead of the sled.

An elated laugh tore from his throat. He loved running like this; the wind blowing through his hair, the ground flying past beneath his feet. It was exhilarating. It made him feel alive.

His eyes narrowed as a small chasm opened into view before them. He could make an earth bridge across for himself, but then Fier could accuse him of cheating. He waved his hand and off to the side, directly in the sled's path, a slab of stone slid out of the opposite bank and joined into the near. Then, without bothering to so much as psych himself up, his feet touched the edge and he sprang into the air, soaring across the gaping hole in the ground like a bird in flight.

He hit the ground with a whump, landing in a crouch, and immediately took off, still vying with Fier for first place. The sled rattled onto the bank behind them, the royals and Kristoff apparently not giving up the race just yet.

Their efforts were in vain. He and Fier kept first place between them the rest of the way down the mountainside, with about a metre between them and the sled the whole way. Wolf and wolfboy beat reindeer, especially when said reindeer was pulling three people in a sleigh.

They finally came to a stop just outside the city. Much to Kell's dismay, Fier was the victor by a hair. Groaning in disappointment, he dug his heels into the ground and skidded to a stop as the sled came swinging past him, coming to a halt a few feet away.

Fier growled in satisfaction. -_I told you that you would not win.-_

Kell huffed and scowled at his wolf brother, saying nothing.

Anna tumbled out of the sled and trotted over to him, grinning in amazement. "That was amazing! Where did you learn to run like that? I bet it was hard to get as fast as you are, because you are really fast, you know. Can a lot of people run like that where you're from? Is it, like, a thing? Hey, where are you from anyway?"

Kell reeled mentally under the onslaught, not expecting the wave of questions from the princess. Which one was he supposed to answer first?

Luckily, Elsa saved him. "That was very impressive, Kell."

He nodded. "Thank you, your majesty."

She smiled, and his heart did a funny flip-flop thing in his chest. He briefly wondered at the curious sensation, then pushed it aside for the moment.

"Guys?" Kristoff called from the sleigh. "Are we heading back?"

Elsa looked up, as if startled. "Ah yes, of course." With that she and her sister re-took their places beside Kristoff and they began moving forward again, much more slowly this time, though still a tad faster than their first crawling pace. Fier refrained from loping ahead this time, contenting himself with walking beside Kell.

Elsa glanced at Kell out of the corner of her eye. He was intriguing, very intriguing. And he would certainly draw attention when they reached town. Particularly those eyes of his.

She remarked on this aloud. "Your appearance must draw some curious looks in places like this."

He chuckled, meeting her eyes. "They do. And thank you for reminding me."

He closed his eyes for a moment, and then opened them again. She didn't see anything different at first, and then she gasped. Like grass breaking through soil, tendrils of green snaked their way over the yellow of his irises, completely overtaking it until there was no hint of the unusual colour left.

"Handy trick," Anna remarked cheerily.

He nodded as he tugged his scarf back up over his mouth and nose. Then, reaching behind his head he pulled up the hood of his cloak, the thick, coarse brown wool effectively casting a shadow over the upper part of his face. Now he was completely anonymous.

A good thing too, since soon Sven's hooves were clacking against the cobblestone streets of the town. The queen and her sister drew many glances and friendly waves, the odd one directed at Kristoff as well. The hooded stranger with the wolf fur stitched into the upper part of his cloak drew stares, as predicted, but not nearly as many as he would have had his full visage been exposed. Many apprehensive looks were directed at Fier, who bore them with complete indifference.

Soon enough they arrived at the castle gates and went through into the courtyard. There, before the palace steps, the three dismounted from the sled and Elsa waved over one of the guards.

The man trotted up. "Yes, my queen?"

"Find Captain Andras and inform him that I wish to see him."

The guard bowed. "Here, my lady?"

Elsa nodded. "Here, as soon as possible." The guard nodded and jogged off.

She turned to Kell. "Do you have a place to stay in mind?"

He shook his head, and Anna squealed. "Ooh, he can stay with us!"

Elsa smiled. She had been thinking the exact same thing. "You are welcome to stay here in the castle for the duration of your stay in Arendelle."

He smiled under the scarf. "I would appreciate that."

At that moment, a large redheaded man with impressive eyebrows strode up. He wore the green uniform of the Arendelle Guard, though his was decorated in gold. He cast a curious glance at Kell before turning to Elsa. "You wished to see me, my queen?"

Elsa nodded. "Captain Andras, take a platoon of men up the mountain to the clearing just beyond the ridge. There you will find twenty men in masks. Bring them to me, preferably in chains. Be careful, they are dangerous."

The captain's eyebrows rose in surprise, but he only bowed. "As you wish, my queen."

As he walked off, Elsa called after him. "Oh and Captain, take a shovel."

The captain's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but he nodded and resumed walking.

Elsa turned back to Kell. "As I was saying, you may stay in one of the guest rooms. We'll give you time to freshen up after your journey, and then you can meet us in the throne room."

"What about Fier?" Kell laid a hand on the wolf's head. "He goes where I go."

Elsa hesitated, then nodded. "Very well. He may stay in your room if you wish."

Kell chuckled. "What _I_ wish doesn't particularly matter. It's what he wishes that counts." He looked at the wolf. "Well?"

After a moment, Fier nodded slowly. –_I would much rather stay with you, den-brother._-

Anna gasped in delight. "He can understand you?"

Fier snorted. –_Of course I can.- _He turned his head to Kell. –_Tell her that I am perfectly capable of understanding human speech, and can therefore understand anything you or anyone else says.-_

Kell shook his head at his den-brother and turned back to Anna. He relayed the wolf's words and she gasped again.

"You can understand him?!"

Kell nodded.

"Wow," she gaped.

Elsa too was staring at him in interest, though she seemed marginally less surprised than her sister.

Kristoff looked mildly bemused, but shrugged. "I can understand Sven, right buddy?"

He leaned closer to the reindeer's head and spoke in a strange voice. "Right."

Kell raised one eyebrow. "Er…"

Anna waved off Kristoff's statement. "Yeah, but that's different. You and Sven have been together since you were little. He can actually understand wolves."

"Actually," Kell spoke up, "Fier and I have been together since we were little as well, though I _would _probably be able to understand him anyway."

Anna opened her mouth, to ask another question he was sure. He spoke before she could. "It's a long story. Maybe I should go freshen up first, then I'll tell you all the whole story after."

Elsa nodded. "Very well." She turned to her sister. "Anna, would you please take Kell to one of the guest rooms? I have some matters to attend to."

Anna beamed. "Sure!" She grabbed him by the arm and practically dragged him up the stairs. "Come on!"

As Kell stumbled through the castle after the energetic redhead he gazed around, taking in the vibrant wallpaper, the numerous paintings and the delicately detailed designs on the furniture and pillars. He'd never been inside a castle before, and he surveyed it all with interest.

As they walked (really it was more like a run), Anna began to pester him with questions again. "So where are you from? And how can you talk to wolves? Is it, like, a side effect of your powers? Have you had your powers since you were born?"

Kell gave short, one-to-two word answers where possible. "Far away. Not sure. Think so. Yes."

Trotting beside him, Fier snorted in amusement. –_This one doesn't know the meaning of silence, does she?_-

Eventually they came to a stop by a door on the second floor of the castle. "Here we are!" Anna chirped. "There should be plenty of room for both of you in there. If you need anything, Elsa and I are just around the corner."

He blinked. "Come again?"

She gestured to the bend in the hallway that was practically right by his new room. "Elsa's basically right around the corner and I'm further down the hall. Hers is the door with the snowflakes and mine has yellow flowers."

Kell looked at her silently, wondering why she had put him so close to the queen. He knew that she had taken a liking to him (she seemed the type to take a liking to just about everyone), but he was still essentially a stranger, and a wild vagabond at that. In her shoes, he definitely wouldn't have placed a person like that so close to the Queen of Arendelle, at least not until he knew a little more about them. Maybe he was just too suspicious by nature, but this girl was definitely far too trusting.

Finally, he nodded. "Okay."

Anna grinned. "See you downstairs!" Then she turned and skipped off down the hall.

-_Well, doesn't she have a lot of energy,-_ Fier commented dryly.

Kell just shook his head and turned the door handle, stepping into what was to be their room.

It was simple, for a royal castle at least. The only furniture was a large four-poster bed and a closet. The walls were painted a deep forest green and a large chocolate brown carpet covered most of the floor. A smaller rug sat by the fire-place, which Fier immediately trotted over to and lay down on.

There was a small door leading to an adjoining chamber, which Kell soon discovered was the bathroom. Almost immediately he drew himself a bath and eagerly washed off the grime of this travels. A life with wolves wasn't the most hygienic, so he could stand being dirty if he needed to, but the habits of nine years living among humans had left their mark. It helped that they had been reinforced relatively recently.

Climbing out and towelling himself dry, he retrieved a shirt and trousers from his pack, the only clean clothes he had. He shrugged them on and, after wiping it down, donned his leather vest again, followed by his soft cloth boots. Looking himself over in the mirror, he frowned at how scruffy he still appeared. He didn't generally care how he looked, but in this case he going to be in the presence of royalty and he should probably tidy up. He wanted to look at least a little neater for her. Them, he corrected himself, look neater for them. He felt his cheeks warm just a little for some reason.

He could start by doing something with his clothes. Everything he wore had once come from the earth, whether it be made of plant fibres or animal hide, and he had discovered an ability to manipulate it a while ago.

Closing his eyes, he focused on the material clothing his body and willed it to change. He felt the cloth shifting against his skin for a moment, and then it settled again. Opening his eyes, he was much more satisfied with what he saw. His shirt and trousers had shifted from dull brown to deep green, and his boots were now the colour of mahogany. All the holes and frays had mended, leaving the clothes looking brand new. The material was also now less coarse and rough, though still nowhere near the elegant cloth that nobility tended to wear. His vest he had mended and tweaked just a little, shape-wise, making it look marginally more elegant. Overall he looked considerably more respectable.

Except for one thing; his hair. It was currently sticking up in all directions due to its recent towelling, and it had grown much longer over the past few months, actually brushing below his shoulder blades. He liked his hair long, but it could use a trim.

Seeing a comb resting by the sink, he ran it through his hair, wrestling with the knots that had accumulated during his time on the move. Then, retrieving one of his knives from by his pack, he set about trimming his hair. He had mastered the art of giving himself a haircut via knife several years ago, though he had never actually cut it all off, preferring to instead trim it to a manageable length.

When he was done, it looked considerably less wild, though it still had the look of a mane about it. It was just a well-groomed mane now. He had trimmed off a lot of the stray locks around the edges, but the bulk of it remained. It was now shorter, most of it just brushing his shoulders, though the back dipped an inch or two below. His bangs he had trimmed a little, so that the locks hanging by his ears only hung to mid-neck. A single lock hung down between his eyes, just brushing the tip of his nose. Everything else he had managed to push out of his face and that one lock didn't bother him so he let it be. He examined himself again, and finding himself altogether more presentable, he turned and left the bathroom.

As he entered the main room, Fier perked his head up. –_Good, you're done. Let's go.-_

Kell nodded and, after a deliberating pause, pulled his sword on over his shoulder.

-_Is that really necessary?-_

"I'd rather have it with me," he answered. He still didn't feel safe without some kind of weapon at hand.

Fier shrugged in indifference and allowed Kell to lead the way out of the room.

Anna had briefly pointed out the throne room to them on their way up, and both Kell and Fier had kept track of their progress through the castle, a habit born of years of hunting in the wilderness. Soon enough they found themselves in front of the massive double doors that hid their destination.

After a moment to collect himself, Kell pushed open one of the doors and strode through. At the other end of the hall, upon a small dais, stood a large mahogany throne, and in that throne sat Queen Elsa. At her side stood Anna and Kristoff.

As soon as he walked through the door, Elsa's eyes snapped up. Immediately, she noticed his change in attire. The new clothes made him look neater and more elegant, but he had a ferocity and a dignity all his own that seemed to remain no matter what he wore. His hair, she noticed had been trimmed and tidied up as well. It looked a lot nicer now, free of the tangles and snarls that it had sported before. It was nice hair, she thought; a dark chocolate colour, shiny and lustrous.

As he reached the foot of the dais, Kell bowed briefly. "Your majesty."

"Call me Elsa," she corrected.

He smiled. It was the first time she had seen him smile properly and her heart stuttered a little. "Okay then, Elsa. I suppose you have questions. Your sister certainly does." He smiled jokingly at Anna, who grinned.

Elsa laughed. "Yes, I do have questions about your powers, as I'm sure you have about mine."

He eyed her carefully. "I'll tell you my story if I get to hear yours in exchange." He was hesitant to ask it of her; if her story was anything like his, it wouldn't be pleasant for her to re-live. But his was by no means pleasant either, and if he was going to share it with her then he hoped to hear hers in exchange.

Elsa's smile slipped a little as she thought of her own tale. Even a year later, the thought of it still filled her with regret. She suspected it always would.

She clasped her hands together. "Agreed."

Kell sighed. "Let's start at the beginning then. I was born far away from here, to the east, in a little town called Valey Creek. It's a little backwoods place in the kingdom of Daestyl." He looked at her questioningly to see if she knew of the kingdom.

She nodded ponderously. "I've heard of Daestyl. We don't have much contact with them, though I have considered remedying that. In fact, an ambassador from Daestyl should be here some time in the next day or so. Actually," she frowned, "he should have been here already."

Kell shrugged. "Yeah, well that's where I'm from. You probably know more about the place than I do; like I said, the place I was born is pretty backwoods. It's in the middle of a mountain range, with just a little dirt road, so there's limited contact with the outside world. It's one of those places no-one comes to visit and hardly anyone ever leaves. Probably because of the isolation, the people are very superstitious. And this is where I come in."

"They didn't like your powers," Kristoff guessed.

"Actually, hardly any of them knew about my powers. My parents never told anyone, because they knew how the village would take it." There had only been one other family in the whole village that had known about his powers, and they had agreed that the rest of the village should never know.

Kell sighed. "They didn't need to know about my powers. My appearance was enough. My yellow eyes and the way my teeth look were enough to guarantee that I would be the village outcast from the very beginning. From the day I was born, I was ostracised. More than that, I was hated. And feared."

Anna frowned. "Why were you hated? I mean, sure you look a little weird, but that's not enough to hate you for, is it?"

Kell's mouth twisted wryly. "The people out there take superstition to new extremes. One look at my yellow eyes was enough to convince them that I was some kind of demon. I was literally outcast at birth. I'm told that once she saw my eyes, one of the midwives tried to drown me."

Elsa's eyes widened in disbelief and Anna gasped in shock. Kristoff clenched his fists in anger.

"How could they do that do a baby?" Anna asked, voice trembling.

Kell chuckled bitterly. "Sometimes people can be very close-minded. She didn't succeed, obviously. I had my father to thank for that. But yeah, that was basically everyone's attitude towards me for the first nine years of my life. If anything went wrong, it was my fault. Didn't matter what; sheep dying, crops wilting, losing something valuable, whatever it was it was my fault. If anyone so much as tripped over while I was nearby, they would say that I had cursed them. The adults looked at me with a mix of hatred and terror, and the children were all taught to fear the demon child. The adults hated me openly from afar, and when I was near they pretended I didn't exist. During the first nine years of my life, most of them never said so much as a word to me. The children were the complete opposite. They mostly yelled and threw stones at me. I'm not sure which was worse, honestly."

Elsa felt herself fill with sadness and empathy for the man in front of her, and anger at his tormentors. How anyone could treat a little boy that way she would never understand.

"So there was no-one besides you family who was even _polite_ to you?" Anna asked sadly.

"Actually," Kell said, "there was one other family in the village who were kind to me. They never believed I was a demon, and they were the only ones that we eventually told about my powers. They had a son my own age, and he was my only friend. They left the village when I was eight though. I think they moved to some bigger town somewhere."

He ran a hand through his hair, sighing. "So anyway, those were the first few years of my life. But when I was nine everything changed." His voice caught and he stared at the floor. He was silent for a long moment, then spoke in a shaky voice.

"When I was nine, there was a fire. It burned down nearly half of our village, as well as a lot of the farmland, but only two people died. My-," he cleared his throat. "My parents were in our house when it caught fire. They weren't able to get out."

Elsa's heart clenched and she exhaled a shuddering breath. Beside her, a tear traced its way down Anna's cheek. Kristoff put an arm around her and bowed his head.

"That was the worst disaster to hit the town in a long time. So of course, it was all my fault. No one seemed to care that _my parents_ were the only ones who died. Or maybe in their minds that just made me more guilty. Whatever the reason, it was my fault, and that night I was exiled from the village. I was chased out, literally, with only the clothes on my back, a mob of them on my heels throwing rocks at my head. I escaped into the woods, and I haven't laid eyes on the place since."

Anna let out a choked sob.

His head shot up at the sound. "Hey," he crooned, "don't cry. It gets better after this, I promise."

Anna nodded tearfully and swiped at her eyes. She cleared her throat noisily. "Okay. I'm good now."

He eyed her for a second before going back to his story. "So I was alone in the forest in the middle of winter. No food, no water. Three days I was out there like that. I sucked snow and stuff, but I was starving and practically frozen. Eventually I collapsed, and I was sure I was going to die. Then the wolves found me, and I was _really_ sure I was going to die. So imagine my surprise when they carried me back to their den instead, and fell asleep beside me. After that, they took care of me and I slowly became one of them. I've been able to understand animals since I was a kid, so I could communicate just fine, and eventually I had a place of my own in the pack. Fier and his family basically became my own. For the next few years I trained with them, ran with them, hunted with them and learned with them. And that's how I can run so fast," he grinned.

Elsa smiled back, glad that his story had finally brightened.

"I stayed with the pack until I was eighteen," he continued. "When Fier's birth brother Lycon was killed in a border skirmish with another wolf pack, I decided to strike out on my own and he decided to come with me. We've been travelling ever since. We stayed in a kind of monastery for a while a few years back, where I learned to fight properly, like a human rather than a wolf. They gave me this sword as a parting gift." He indicated the blade slung over his shoulder.

Elsa hadn't really paid the sword much attention before. She now inspected it more closely, noting that it was far from a typical sword. The blade was long and thin, just wider than a rapier blade. The guard was odd, sticking up alongside the blade for a small way, looking rather like the outer prongs of a fork. The grip was two-handed and wrapped in dark grey cloth of some sort. Instead of a pommel it had a tassel on the end, which seemed to be made of reddish fur of some kind. Wolf, Elsa would guess.

"Anyway," Kell continued, "that was the last place we stayed in for longer than a week. Since then we've just been wandering. I heard rumours about your powers in a couple of places and I knew that I had to meet you. Which is why I'm here."

There was silence as the trio on the dais processed his story.

Eventually, Elsa cleared her throat and spoke. "Thank you, Kell, for telling us that. Now it's our turn to tell you our story."

And so it was that Kell heard the tale of Elsa's powers, the eternal winter (which turned out not to be so eternal after all), a jerk prince named Hans, a mountain man and his reindeer, a talking snowman, and the love that saved a kingdom.

When they'd finished, he stood there in wonder. He'd never heard such an incredible story before, never mind one that was true.

He gazed at Elsa in newfound awe. He now knew just how strong this woman was, to lock herself away for the sake of her sister, and how caring. He wondered at her abilities, which to him seemed so much more beautiful than his own. He'd never caused, nor tried to cause, anything on the scale of an eternal winter, so he had no idea how they compared to each other in terms of sheer power, but hers seemed more…magical, somehow. She was ice, crystalline and beautiful, while he was earth, dull and commonplace.

She stood, bringing him out of his reverie. "Well, now that we are all better acquainted, I hope that we can all get along better. Kell, how long do you intend to stay in Arendelle?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I don't have any plans in particular at the moment."

She nodded in satisfaction. "You are welcome to stay here for as long as you'd like. I hope that we can discover more about our powers this way."

Kell smiled. "Me too."

She smiled back before descending the dais and heading for the door. "I'm going back to my room for a bit."

"Okay!" Anna smiled.

Fier nudged Kell with his nose. –_Perhaps we should return to our own room.-_

Kell nodded. Waving goodbye to Anna and Kristoff, he turned and walked out the door himself.

It wasn't until he practically walked into Elsa around a corner that he realised that they were headed in the same direction.

Elsa was surprised to see Kell round the corner behind her and almost crash into her. "Kell? Is there something you wanted to ask me?"

Kell shook his head. "No, our room is this way. Anna put Fier and I practically right around the corner from you. Not that I know why."

Elsa's eyes narrowed. She had a pretty good idea as to why. Anna had recently developed the unfortunate habit of trying to play matchmaker for her older sister and, if given her way, often arranged for handsome young visitors to stay in the nearest guest rooms. Kell certainly fit into that category, she thought with a faint blush. She should have expected this when she allowed her sister free reign over Kell and Fier's sleeping arrangements.

Brushing her irritation aside, she gestured forward. "Would you care to join me then?"

Kell smiled. "Of course, my queen."

She sighed. "I told you to call me Elsa."

"Sorry. Elsa."

"Much better."

They walked in companionable silence for a few minutes, before Elsa spoke. "So, you stayed in a monastery once."

"That's right."

She glanced at him curiously. "Somehow I have a hard time envisioning you as a monk."

He laughed, and the sound sent a strange, warm sensation through her insides. "They weren't what you'd call typical monks. They're all about harmony with nature, self-discovery and becoming the best that one can be. They're also great warriors, some of the greatest in the world. They teach many different standardised fighting styles, but what they do most commonly is help you develop your own fighting style, based on your own strengths and weaknesses. They test themselves a lot by going into extreme environments to meditate or train. Not only did they teach me to fight, but their more spiritual side helped me discover and explore my powers more."

Elsa smiled in understanding. "They sound like interesting people."

Kell nodded. "They are. I learned a lot from them. Made some friends too."

"Do you miss them?"

"Sometimes. Fier and I were thinking about going back to visit them at some point."

They lapsed into silence again for a way.

This time it was broken by Kell. "Hey, Elsa…"

"Yes?"

"What was it like with Anna when you were kids? How did it feel to be so close to her?"

Elsa contemplated the question. "We did everything together when we were kids. We used to play together all the time, and we were quite the handful for the palace staff. We used to sneak into the ballroom at night and I would use my powers to make snow for us to play in."

"It must have been hard to give that up," Kell remarked softly.

Elsa nodded sadly. "It was the hardest thing in the world for me." She glanced at him. "But now that I know about your childhood, I feel almost ashamed for thinking mine was so hard."

"Don't," he replied sharply. "My childhood was hard, yes, but so was yours. Yours was just hard in a different way. You can't compare them, because they're different."

He flushed slightly. "For what it's worth, I think you were incredibly strong to sacrifice everything for Anna's sake. I'm not sure I could have done it in your place. You are very brave."

Elsa blushed furiously. "Thank you. And I think you were strong as well, for enduring all that abuse for all those years."

Their eyes met and they immediately turned away self-consciously, their blushes deepening.

At that moment, a servant came rushing around the corner. "Queen Elsa! The Daestylian Ambassador has arrived, and he insists that you see him immediately. He says that it is a matter of grave importance. He is waiting for you in the throne room."

Elsa nodded. "Very well. I will be there shortly."

She turned back to Kell. "It was nice talking to you."

"Likewise," he smiled.

She smiled back before turning and walking off.

Kell's eyes followed her down the hall until she vanished from sight.

Fier made a jerky, rolling growl sound that Kell recognised as laughter.

"What?"

He could have sworn the wolf was smirking. –_You like her.-_

His blush rushed back full force. "I do not! I mean, I _like_ her, 'cause she's nice and all, but not like _that_."

-_You are in denial. It is obvious that you are attracted to her, and she to you.-_

Kell scowled at the wolf. "I don't like her like that, and she most definitely does not like me in that way." He seemed to deflate a little as he said this.

Fier snorted in disbelief. -_Suuure.-_

There was a pause, and they continued walking.

And then; -_Is this what humans call having a 'crush'?-_

Kell exploded. "I do not have a crush on her!"

Fier shot him a look like 'do you seriously expect me to believe that?'

Before Kell had the chance to respond, the same servant from before came rushing down the hall. "Master Kell, the Queen requests your presence in the throne room."

Kell blinked in surprise. "Me? What for?"

The servant shrugged. "That I do not know. She merely asked that you come to the throne room right away."

Still baffled, Kell nodded. "I'm on my way."

Within minutes he and Fier were standing outside the throne room once more. Shoving open the door and entering, he saw that Elsa was once again seated on her throne, and before her he could see the back of a man's head. Probably it was this Daestylian ambassador.

Kell frowned. Something seemed familiar about him. He was tall, with straight black hair, and from what Kell could tell, he seemed to be about Kell's age. He held some kind of scroll in his left hand.

Elsa looked up, noticing his arrival. "There you are."

The young ambassador turned around. His hazel eyes were lit with curiosity, and a thin scar ran just above his right eyebrow.

Upon seeing the scar, Kell was hit with recognition.

Elsa seemed not to notice. "This is the Daestylian ambassador. His name is-"

He cut her off. "Aiden. Aiden Tainerrun."

Aiden furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Do I know you?"

Kell let the green fade out of his eyes, allowing the yellow to seep back in, and he parted his lips to reveal his 'fangs'.

Aiden's arms fell to his sides, the scroll slipping from his fingers, his mouth dropping open in shock.

"Kell?"

* * *

**Yes, I ended it there. A little cliffie for you.**

**Fier, tellin' it like it is. You should listen to your brother, Kell.**

**So, thoughts? What did you like? What did you not like? What did you think of the more in-depth exploration of Kell's backstory?**

**And can any of you guess who Aiden is? I think you might be able to.**

**If you liked it, tell me. If you didn't like it, tell me! Constructive criticism is appreciated. Outright flames, however, are not. They might be if I could save them up and burn my homework with them, but alas I cannot, so no flames here please.**

**So, review, people!**


	4. Chapter 3 - A New Threat

**I am back! Finally!**

**So, you may have noticed the new cover art. I had a question about Kell's sword, so I decided to draw it for you. Just a quick sketch, scanned and then coloured on Paint.**

**I also drew, or attempted to draw, Kell (or at least his face). That ****_would _****be up on my DeviantArt if the site would stop screwing with me. So I'll put that up as soon as I can.**

**Disclaimer: Don't look at me. Do I look like Disney to you?**

* * *

**Chapter 3 – Threat**

"Kell?" Aiden's voice rose in disbelief. "Is that really you?"

Kell grinned from ear to ear. "It's been a long time, Ay."

Elsa looked back and forth between the two in confusion. "You know each other?"

Aiden nodded. "We were friends when we were little boys. I used to live in the same village as him."

Elsa's eyes widened, details of Kell's story clicking into place in her mind. So this was the friend from his childhood.

Kell glanced between Elsa and Aiden. "So why am I here?" He assumed it had something to do with whatever urgent news Aiden was bringing from Daestyl.

"Ah yes." Elsa clasped her hands in front of her. "Mr Tainerrun, would you please start from the beginning?"

Aiden nodded and cleared his throat. "It has come to light that there is a dangerous group of individuals who are targeting any people with supernatural powers."

Fier snorted softly, rolling his eyes. –_A group of individuals. Isn't that what all groups are?-_

Kell glanced wryly at the wolf. That was what he was concerned about?

"We have only just learned of their existence recently," Aiden continued, "when an attempt was made on the lives of our prince and princess."

At first, Kell was confused. Why would a group targeting people with supernatural powers…? Then his eyes widened and he stood still as stone. No. It couldn't be. But then again, why not?

The implications of the statement hadn't missed Elsa either, who sat bolt upright, hands shaking in her lap. "Your prince and princess?"

Aiden nodded. "Indeed. The prince and princess of Daestyl are blessed with elemental powers as well. It is one of our kingdoms most closely guarded secrets."

Two more. There were two more. Kell could only stare in disbelief.

Elsa composed herself before her expression could betray her shock. "If it's such a secret, why are you telling us?"

"Because you are the same," Aiden explained. "You have powers of your own. Ever since your own powers came to light year ago, Majesty, King Taelon has been eager to establish contact with you. But I believe you can understand why he has been hesitant; he has been loath to put his children at risk. But with this new threat emerging, he believed it prudent to warn you, and to inform you of his children's plight."

He bent to retrieve the scroll that he had dropped, dusting it off before climbing the dais and presenting it to Elsa. "This is a letter from King Taelon and Queen Aenora."

Elsa took it from him, eyes scanning the scroll and absorbing its contents. When she was done, she gestured to Kell. Stepping up onto the dais, Kell took the scroll and began to read.

_Dear Queen Elsa of Arendelle_

What followed was a flow of pleasantries that Kell skipped over entirely, going straight to the important part.

_It has come to our attention that there is a dangerous group of people at large who seek to harm those who possess powers beyond those of a normal human being. You are most likely not aware of this, but Prince Laenyr and Princess Raelyn of Daestyl are two such people. So too, we understand, are you, Your Majesty. For the sake of both our kingdoms and families, we thought it wise to warn you of this threat._

_An attempt was made recently on the lives of the prince and princess. Fortunately, it was not successful. Two of the assassins were apprehended, and from them we learned what little we know of this group. They wear metal masks and black clothes emblazoned with the symbol of an eye being struck by lightning. They call themselves The Darkness._

Kell looked up at Elsa in shock. "The men from the woods!"

She nodded.

Aiden looked surprised. "What is this?"

Elsa explained. "Earlier this afternoon I was with my sister and Arendelle's Official Ice Master, who is a friend of ours, up the mountain a ways. We were attacked by a group of men in black metal masks who wore clothes emblazoned with the symbol of an eye being struck by lightning. Fortunately, Kell happened to be nearby and they were all defeated."

Aiden glanced at his old friend with a smile before frowning in worry. "This is most concerning. There has been an attempt made on your life already."

Elsa nodded. "It is. But none of us were harmed, and a platoon of guards is in the process of bringing the men to the palace for questioning as we speak. Although," she snuck a pointed glance at Kell, "that may take some time yet."

Kell chuckled at the underlying meaning. Then he turned his attention back to the letter and scanned the rest of the contents as quickly as he could.

_We wish to propose an alliance against these masked devils. Surely together we have a much better chance of stopping them. We invite you, Queen Elsa, as well as any you choose to accompany you, to Saerton, the capital city of Daestyl, where we might discuss this matter further._

_Best regards_

_King Taelon and Queen Aenora of Daestyl._

Furling the scroll, Kell tapped it against his palm and looked at Aiden, who stared beseechingly back at him. He turned to Elsa. "It sounds good to me. Safety in numbers and all that." Also, he added in his mind, it's another opportunity to learn more about our powers.

Elsa nodded ponderously, thinking the exact same thing. "I thought so too." After a moment of consideration, she said, "Arendelle will accept this offer."

Aiden sighed in relief. "Thank you, your majesty. You don't know how much this means to m- to my King and Queen."

Catching Aiden's near slip-up, Kell quirked one eyebrow in curiosity but said nothing.

Elsa smiled. "I can imagine."

Aiden looked at Kell. "Are you coming? You're in the same boat after all."

"Definitely," Kell replied. Then he caught himself and looked at the queen. "That is, if her majesty permits it."

Elsa had just taken it for granted that he would be coming. "Of course."

Kell grinned. "Then I'm coming."

Elsa turned back to the smiling Aiden. "We have a room already prepared for you, Ambassador Tainerrun. Your bags will have been taken there already. I can have someone show you to your room if you'd like."

Aiden shook his head. "That would be much appreciated, thank you.

Elsa nodded. "I'll have someone sent in just a moment."

Aiden bowed. "Your majesty." Then he turned on his heel and walked out of the room.

Once he was gone, Kell turned to Elsa.

"Two more."

She nodded, the queenly mask falling away to be replaced by an expression of shock. "I can't… I can't believe it. Just this morning I thought I was the only one, and now…"

"Now there are four of us," he completed. She nodded mutely.

"This opens a whole new set of doors as far as our powers are concerned," he continued. "And more than that…"

He didn't finish out loud. He didn't need to. They both knew what else this meant. It meant that there were more people who were like them, who could truly _understand_ them. And that was the greatest blessing.

At that moment, Anna poked her head around the door. "Dinner time."

Elsa sighed in relief. "At last. Anna, could you please show Ambassador Tainerrun to his room before you come to the dining hall?"

"Sure thing!" And then she was gone, off like a shot.

Elsa stood, brushing imaginary dust off her lap. "Let's go to dinner then."

Kell's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I'm having dinner with you guys?"

Elsa looked at him as if that were obvious. "You saved our lives. I think you're entitled to eat with us."

Kell wasn't so sure. He was a commoner. Less than a commoner, a Wildman. What right did he have to dine with royalty? But he wasn't going to argue with the Queen.

Dinner was a small affair filled with the buzz of casual conversation. Elsa sat at the head of the table, naturally, with Kell directly to her left. On her right sat Anna, with Kristoff on Anna's other side. Fier lounged on the floor beside Kell, a plate of raw venison set before him.

When Kell and Elsa informed the other two of the situation with Daestyl, Anna leapt out of her seat in delight. It took several minutes to convince her to sit down again, and she bounced up and down in her seat for the rest of the meal. After the excitement settled in properly, the conversation turned to Kell in the form of questions, mostly from Anna with the occasional interjection from Kristoff. What did he eat when he lived with the wolves? What did raw meat taste like? What was the most interesting thing that happened while he was living with the monks?

At that last question, Kell grinned and launched into a story about how he and two other acolytes had been sent on a 'journey of self-discovery', and had chased a wild bear up the mountainside because it had stolen their bag of food. They had ended up being literally chased off a cliff by the bear's parents, and only a makeshift parachute and a massive amount of luck had saved them from broken bones or worse. It _hadn't _saved them from crash-landing in the monastery's lovingly cultivated garden, destroying the carefully pruned shrubbery and uprooting flowers. Kell himself had smashed through a mountain rose bush (that had hurt) and ploughed a furrow in the tulip beds before ending up face-down in the carp pond. Needless to say, the monks had not been happy. The boys had been made to restore the garden on their own, and then put on cleaning duty for a month.

By the time he finished his story, everyone else at the table was in stitches of laughter. He was chuckling a little himself; it was quite funny in retrospect, though it had been terrifying at the time. There were many such stories that he could tell about his time at the monastery, though that one had to be one of the best.

Elsa was largely quiet throughout the course of dinner. She laughed alongside everyone else at Kell's story, but returned to her silence soon after. Her mind was far away, with a prince and princess with powers like hers. Like hers and Kell's.

Once the food had all been consumed Elsa excused herself, saying that she needed to send a letter to King Taelon of Daestyl. Anna and Kristoff left to do who-knows-what, leaving Kell and Fier to stroll back to their room alone.

Kell flopped back onto his bed with a sigh. This had definitely been one of the most eventful days of his life. Without bothering to change clothes or move from his current position, he drifted off into sleep.

A knock at the door woke him. Blinking bleary eyes open, Kell mumbled a groggy, "Yeah?"

The door did not open. Instead, a voice that presumably belonged to one of the palace servants informed him that the queen would like to see him in her study.

Kell sighed and got up, straightening his clothes and patting down his hair. He glanced over at his brother, who was curled up by the fireplace. "You coming, Fier?"

The wolf lifted his head and yawned lazily. –_I would rather not. Besides, this summons is for you, not me.-_ And with that he tucked his muzzle under his paws and closed his eyes, effectively ending the conversation.

Kell shrugged and walked out. The servant on the other side led him to Elsa's study, saying that the Queen would meet him inside shortly. Kell pushed open the doors and stepped inside, gazing around in curiosity.

The walls of the room were covered in new-looking, pale blue wallpaper patterned with snowflakes. Directly opposite him, set into the far wall, was a large, triangular stained glass window, beneath which sat a model of a viking longship. To the left was a large fireplace in which a cluster of flames crackled, illuminating the room, with the golden stylised crocus flower that was Arendelle's crest set into the brick above it. Before the fireplace sat a sofa and a few chairs, resting their feet on a large rug. A chessboard sat unused on a small table behind the sofa. On the right sat a small alcove with a bench seat carved low into the wall under a pair of large curtains. The alcove was framed on either side by bookshelves. Beside the door a large portrait of a man wearing a crown, who Kell assumed was the former king of Arendelle, stared down over a desk cluttered with scrolls and small items.

Kell's soft boots made no sound on the polished wood floor as he made his way over to the large curtains. Pushing them aside, he saw that behind them lay a large, clear, glass window overlooking the city.

Reaching up, Kell unlatched the window, allowing a soft night-time breeze to permeate the room. Leaning forward, he hoisted himself onto the window ledge and, grasping the sides of the windowpane firmly, leaned out into space. He heard the soft rustle of cloth above him and looked up to see a pole sticking out of the wall a few feet up, on which fluttered the purple-and-green flag of Arendelle.

Reaching up, Kell wormed his fingers into a handhold just above the window. Then, pulling himself up, he began to climb. In a matter of seconds his fingers were wrapping around the flagpole. Using both arms, he hoisted himself up until his feet rested on the pole, allowing Kell to rest comfortably against the brick behind him and admire the view.

Arendelle was beautiful at night, he thought with a smile. It was said that people looked more enchanting when they were asleep. The same was certainly true for the city. Many of the homes were quiet, with only a few beams of light leaking past closed shutters. Soft firelight shone through the windows and open doors of inns and bars, where late-night drinkers laughed and talked, their merriment to be remembered by the sleeping city only as a dream.

In the room below, Elsa stepped through the door and shut it behind her. The guards had finally returned from the mountain, with the now conscious assassins trailing beside them in chains. Upon seeing Elsa, several had attempted to lunge for her, only to be stopped and dragged away struggling by the guards. They were being kept under close guard in the dungeon for the time being.

Glancing around the room, Elsa noticed that she was alone. Kell must not have arrived yet, she thought.

A warm breeze slid through her hair and Elsa smiled, casting her eyes around for its source. Spotting the open window, she meandered over and leaned against the sill, smiling at the view of her gorgeous city. Then, with a sigh, she reached out to close the glass shutters.

A voice from above made her jump. "Don't close it."

Startled, she looked up to see Kell perched on the flagpole, his back to the wall. "What are you doing up there?"

"Admiring the view." He stepped off the pole, his hands replacing his feet on the metal bar, and swung himself down. Letting go, he dropped to perch on the windowsill. Grinning at Elsa's surprised face, he slid past her and back into the study.

She shut the window and turned to face him, smiling. "Are you sure you were never raised by cats?"

"Pretty sure," he laughed.

"Monkeys?"

"Nope," he grinned. "Just plain, boring old wolves."

"You shouldn't let Fier hear you say that," she warned.

"Yeah, he'd probably bite my head off. Maybe even literally," he joked.

Elsa laughed.

Kell smiled, taking a seat in one of the chairs as Elsa curled up primly on the couch.

"So, why am I here?"

Elsa sat in silence for a moment before answering. "What do you think of this group, The Darkness?"

He frowned. "To be honest, we know so little about them that I don't know what to think."

Elsa nodded, as if expecting that answer. "We may know more in the morning." In answer to Kell's inquisitive look, she explained, "The guards have returned from the mountain with the assassins who attacked us today. Finally," she added, with a hint of a smile.

Kell huffed. "Hey, you should be happy I helped."

She smiled properly this time, before settling back into her serious expression. "I am. And I thank you for that. They might have succeeded in their mission, had you not been there." She shuddered to think what might have happened in that case.

He smiled reassuringly. "But I was there. And you're safe now."

Elsa smiled back gratefully. There was something about him, a certain comfort in his presence, a certain steadiness, that made her feel genuinely safe around him.

Clearing her throat, she continued. "The assassins are in the dungeons now, and I was planning to go and interrogate them in the morning. Would you like to accompany me?"

"Definitely," he replied firmly.

She nodded again. Then, "What do you think about this trip to Daestyl?"

"I'm looking forward to it," Kell grinned. "I want to meet this prince and princess."

"As do I," Elsa agreed. "I still can't believe…" her voice dropped to a hush. "I can't believe that there are others. That they're real. I can barely believe that _you're_ real."

Kell smiled softly. He knew the feeling. "I'm real. Don't worry; I'm not going to vanish on you."

Elsa smiled in return. "Good." For some reason, the thought of him disappearing made her stomach churn in discontent.

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, until the clock down the hall gave eleven soft _dong_s.

"Goodness, I hadn't realised how late it was," Elsa said, standing.

Kell mimicked her motion. "We should probably get to bed."

"Yes," she agreed.

Kell bowed slightly. "Well then, Your Majesty, I bid you farewell till the morning." Then he turned and walked towards the door.

Elsa smiled. "Goodnight, Kell."

He paused with his hand on the door handle. He turned to smile back at her. "Goodnight, Elsa."

Then he left, leaving the door open behind him.

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**So there you have it. The next chapter in our story.**

**We'll be seeing the assassins of The Darkness (see where I got the story name from?) next chapter. And then the chapter after that it'll be goodbye Arendelle, hello Saerton City.**

**Kudos to anyone who managed to guess who Aiden was. Don't worry, you _will_ be seeing more of him.**

**Love it? Hate it? Let me know. What did I do well? What could I improve? Also, any suggestions or critiques on my writing style are very welcome. As an aspiring novelist, anything that will help improve my writing in general is much appreciated. So feel free to criticise to your heart's content, provided that it is _constructive_. This is a no-flame zone.**

**Not only are reviews great for me as a writer, to get feedback from you guys, they also make for great incentive to write. Reviews are great motivators (hint hint).**

**Seriously people, review!**

**I bid you farewell till the next chapter.**


	5. Chapter 4 - Dark Greetings

**New chapter! 4000 words exactly, including the title.**

**Thank you so much to everyone who has followed, favourited and reviewed so far. You guys are great.**

**To that one Guest who made the suggestion about Kell training: Funny you should mention that.**

**Me? Own Frozen? Not in this lifetime, buddy.**

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**Chapter 4 – Dark Greetings**

The dawn found Kell wandering through the palace courtyard, Fier by his side. Having lived in the wilderness for so long they were used to rising with the sun, or before it. They had awoken on their own some half an hour previously, and had decided to familiarise themselves with the castle. They had only been given the quick tour the day before, and only seen the places that were on the way to their room. So now they were familiarising themselves with the rest of it. They were looking for one place in particular as they rounded the side of the castle. Kell grinned as he spotted it on the far side of the castle grounds: the training area.

As they drew closer, Kell could see that the training grounds were made up of a large, grassy field, big enough for most, if not all, of the palace guard to train on at once. At one end, off to the side, were set several archery targets. A little away from the archery range, out of reach of stray arrows, were a set of thick wooden poles wrapped in straw and cloth, as well as several practise dummies, obviously for practising hand-to-hand combat. In another corner sat a number of un-adorned large wooden posts covered in notches, as well as several more training dummies, most of these ones holding wooden swords and shields, and balanced on curved bases that would allow them to swing back and forth. There were also several weapons racks, currently empty. Kell noted a small shed off to the side, which he presumed held the practise weapons and any other equipment.

Walking over to the section for weapons practise, Kell unsheathed his sword, which was slung in its customary place over his shoulder, as Fier settled to the ground to watch. He had come prepared, leaving his vest behind in his room and loosening his clothing a little, turning it back to its original brown colour. His boots, now considerably less polished-looking, were also back to their original colour, a lighter, more orange shade of brown.

Twirling his sword in his hand, he advanced towards the nearest straw dummy. Sliding into a ready stance in front of it, he moved his blade forward and held it steadily with both hands wrapped around the hilt. Inhaling and then exhaling slowly, he felt himself settle into the steady, focused state that served him well in battle. In his mind, the dummy in front of him became an enemy to be defeated.

Without warning, Kell sprang forward and whipped his sword towards the dummy's wooden one, knocking it aside with the flat of his blade. The dummy leaned to the side, and then its carefully balanced base brought it swinging back up again, its sword now headed for Kell's face. Easily dodging his opponent's 'attack', Kell retaliated with another strike against the wooden sword. As the dummy swung back, Kell used the edge of his sword to cut a swathe out of the straw that made up the dummy's shoulder. Blocking the retaliating strike with the flat of his blade, Kell knocked the dummy's shield aside, turning it in the other direction, and ducked its sword, stabbing it its exposed side. Once more blocking the dummy's attack, Kell slid his blade forward and once more took a slice out of the dummy's shoulder. Then, as the dummy righted itself, Kell struck its sword with such force that its arm snapped in two, sending the front half, sword and all, flying into the air. Taking advantage of the opening, Kell darted to the side, away from the shield, and with a single smooth motion sliced the dummy's head off.

The entire 'fight' had taken about twenty seconds.

After a moment he let his sword drop to his side, the decapitated dummy bobbing from side to side with its shield still raised in defence.

From his spot off to the side, Fier commented dryly, -_Forgive me if I'm wrong, but somehow I doubt that dummy was a worthy opponent.-_

Kell ignored his brother, instead moving back into a ready stance and beginning his sword drills. He stabbed and sliced at thin air, leaping and twisting as he followed the sequence of movements. He settled into a steady pace, enjoying the familiar motions and rhythm of the drills. While he hadn't admitted it yesterday, the discovery that there was a dangerous group of assassins targeting him and Elsa had unsettled him, and he took comfort from the familiar, deadly dance of sword and body. If they were attacked again, he would be ready.

Eventually, the dance came to an end and he sheathed his sword, removing it from his shoulder and standing it in the nearest sword rack. He glanced down the field, debating the posts for hand-to-hand training that were set up there. Deciding against them, he instead raised a smooth stone pillar a foot or so taller than himself out of the ground. He had graduated from straw and cloth padding some time ago.

He began to attack the pillar rapidly, utilising the many strikes and combinations that he had been taught by the monks. The impacts hurt a little at first, a testament to his lack of training and conditioning in recent months, but eventually he became used to the pain. His body would re-adjust soon enough.

After half an hour of battering the pillar, Kell leaped into the air and gave the pillar a thundering kick, before landing in a crouch. Then he stood, allowing the stone column to sink back into the ground, and turned to Fier. "A training partner would be nice."

The wolf eyed him lazily. –_I would rather not .-_

Kell smirked. "Why, because you don't want a repeat of last time?" The last time they had sparred, Kell had won, managing to fling his brother into a nearby pond. Needless to say, it wasn't a particularly prideful moment for Fier.

The wolf growled, getting to his feet. –_I know what you are doing, human. Know that I am only doing this because you require a partner, not because you have provoked me.-_

Kell smirked, moving further into the middle of the field and slipping into a defensive stance. "Whatever you say."

Fier snarled and they began to circle each other. They had been sparring, wrestling, and play-fighting with each other for years, and were well familiar with their traditions. It was Kell's turn to make the first move.

After several minutes of silent circling, Kell darted forward and attempted to slam his elbow into the wolf's shoulder. Fier jumped back at the last second, before darting forward himself and snapping his jaws where Kell's ankle had been a second before. Kell had retreated several paces, but before he could get a chance to retaliate Fier shot forward and head-butted him in the stomach. As he stumbled backwards, winded, Fier leapt at him with a triumphant himself together, Kell slipped to the side and whipped his foot out, catching his brother just below the rib cage, sending the wolf sprawling onto the ground. Seizing his chance, Kell leapt forward and wrapped his arms around his brother's neck. Fier gave a choked growl and rolled over, crushing the air out of Kell and forcing him to relinquish his hold. Both stumbled to their feet, gasping for breath. Kell jumped forward, attempting to regain his hold on his brother. He had long ago learned that, against a wolf, the best advantage he could get would be to get his arms around his opponent. Feir dodged away and Kell crashed down onto grass and dirt, immediately rolling to the side to avoid his brother's teeth. Then he was on his feet again, and they were back to circling.

By this time the sun had properly risen. The sky was now awake, in a sense, and therefore so was Anna. And once Anna was up, Elsa soon would be.

BANG BANG BA-BANG BANG! Anna's signature knock reverberated around the room, effectively rousing Elsa from her slumber. The queen groaned softly. Yesterday had been exhausting, mentally if not physically, and she wanted nothing more than to stay in bed. Briefly, she considered freezing the door shut. Then she sighed. If Anna didn't get her up, someone else would.

"Elsa, wake up! It's a new day!"

When Elsa didn't reply, Anna knocked again. "Elsa? Are you up?"

Elsa sighed again, then replied, "Yes, Anna."

Dragging herself out of bed, Elsa went through the motions of making herself presentable, selecting a dress and combing and plaiting her hair. While her bedhead was nowhere near as appalling as Anna's, it was still messy.

When she finally stepped out the door, Anna looped her arm around her sister's and started off down the hallway. When they were halfway to the kitchen, Anna stopped. "I forgot! Should we go back and wake Kell?"

Elsa hesitated. While it would be nice to have him join them for breakfast, he should be allowed to enjoy his sleep.

At that moment, Kai walked around the corner. "Good morning Queen Elsa, Princess Anna."

"Good morning, Kai," Elsa smiled.

"Morning, Kai." Anna chirped cheerfully. "We're on our way to breakfast. We were just wondering if we should wake Kell up so he can join us."

Kai glanced out the window. "I don't think you'll need to worry about that, Your Majesties."

Curious, the sisters, peered out the window themselves. From their vantage point, they had a clear view of Kell at the training grounds, apparently play-fighting with Fier. A small contingent of palace guards, having arrived for their training, had clustered around the edges of the field to watch.

"Ooh, let's go down and watch them," Anna exclaimed.

Elsa let her sister lead her down the corridor without comment.

When they arrived at the training grounds the guards, upon noticing them, bowed.

"It's alright," Elsa said with a queenly smile.

"Morning, Kell!" Anna called, waving.

Distracted, Kell glanced towards them for a second. The distraction was all Fier needed to slam into his brother and knock him to the ground, planting his forepaws on Kell's chest.

-_I win.-_

Kell groaned. "Fine. Just let me up."

Growling in satisfaction, Fier removed his paws, allowing Kell to get to his feet. Brushing himself off, Kell walked over to the waiting royals.

"Sorry about that," Anna winced.

"No problem," he grinned.

Anna smiled in relief. "So anyway, what were you doing?"

"Training," Kell responded with a shrug. "I haven't really trained properly in a while, and I thought I should."

Elsa could guess why. Instead of commenting on it, she gestured to the headless, sword-less dummy nearby. "Was that you?"

Kell grinned sheepishly. "Yeah.

Anna smiled. "So, now that you're done training, would you like to join us for breakfast?"

Kell tugged at the neck of his shirt and grimaced. "I would, but I've been sweating and I need to wash up." Then he made a face. "These were my last clean clothes though."

"I'll have a new set delivered to your room," Elsa assured him.

"Thanks," he smiled. He turned to his brother, who hadn't moved from his spot and was now sitting on his haunches. "I'm going!"

Immediately, Fier bounded over to Kell's side. –_Not without me, you aren't.-_

Kell just grinned and waved goodbye to the sisters, before turning and walking back to the castle.

Once he'd returned to his room and washed the sweat from his body, he dressed himself in the clothes that Elsa had had sent up and examined himself in the mirror.

There had in fact been more than one set of clothes left by his door. Three, to be precise. They were all the same; simple shirts and trousers, though one had some gold patterning around the edges. They shirts were all white and the pants all black. Kell frowned and adjusted the set that he was wearing. He didn't need to change the size much; whoever had picked out the clothes had judged well in that area. He merely adjusted the colour, turning the shirt the same deep green as the one he had worn yesterday. The pants he left alone. He donned his vest, enjoying the familiar weight of the mahogany leather on his shoulders. A moment later his sword settled into its place against his spine.

There had also been a pair of polished, dark brown, soft leather boots left with the clothes. He pulled them onto his feet, standing to test their fit. He smiled. They fit well and were quite comfortable.

Feeling sufficiently refreshed, he left to join Anna and Elsa for breakfast, Fier loping beside him.

When he arrived at the dining room, Elsa greeted them warmly. "There you are. I see you've made some alterations to your clothes, "she smiled. She liked the change. Green suited him, she thought.

He shrugged. "I like green."

Elsa nodded, then turned serious. "I'm going to visit our prisoners straight after this."

Kell felt his good mood slide away at the mention of the assassins. "Good. I'm coming."

"I'm coming too," Anna insisted firmly.

Elsa opened her mouth to argue, but Kell broke in. "Let her come. She has almost as much right to be there as you do. "

Elsa frowned dubiously but, after a short pause, conceded with a nod. Anna shot Kell a grateful smile.

Breakfast was a hushed affair after that. They hardly spoke, focusing totally on their food and the interrogation to come. The meal was over quickly, and then they were all on their feet and heading for the cells, Fier prowling behind them.

The assassins were all held in separate cells, a guard posted outside each one. As they approached the first cell, the guard bowed slightly and stepped away, clearly expecting them.

"Be careful," the guard cautioned as he unlocked the door. "He's chained, but he could still be dangerous."

Kell smirked. "Don't worry about him." He partially drew his sword before sheathing it again.

The guard nodded and pulled the door open. Elsa began to step forward, but Kell's arm blocked her way. Wordlessly, he stepped in front of her and entered first. If there was danger waiting, he was the best equipped to deal with it.

The assassin, now without his mask, was chained to the far wall by a pair of metal handcuffs. Upon seeing Elsa, who entered immediately behind Kell, his jaw tightened and he leaned back against the wall. "You'll get nothing from me."

"We'll see," Kell responded evenly. The guard eyed him for a second before his eyes widened in recognition. He squared his shoulders and pressed his lips together tightly.

Ignoring this, Elsa began the questioning. "Who are you?"

When he didn't so much as twitch, she moved on to the next question. "Who do you work for?"

Still no answer. Elsa pressed on, regardless. "What was your objective?"

When the prisoner settled even more firmly against the wall and turned his head away, Elsa sighed. "We're not going to get anywhere with this." She turned and left the room, Anna and the others in tow.

As the door shut behind them, Anna queried, "Why did we leave? There must have been some way we could have made him talk."

Elsa smiled slightly. "I'm sure there is a way. But we have nineteen more prisoners to interrogate. We may have better luck with one of them."

-_I agree,-_ Fier commented. Kell agreed as well. He was good at reading people, his brother even more so, and they could both see that the would-be assassin was firmly resolved to keep his mouth shut. It would take a lot to shake him. At this point, it would be better to move on to the other prisoners and hope that they had more luck there.

They had no luck at all with the next seventeen prisoners. Fourteen of them had been as tight-lipped and immovable as the first. The remaining three had leapt at Elsa, only to be stopped by their chains and Kell's sword at their throats. They had spat at their interrogators and refused to answer their questions, responding instead with swearing and hurled insults. The interrogation party had come out of all seventeen of those encounters none the wiser.

Their luck changed with the nineteenth man. As soon as they entered the cell, Kell noted the way his eyes darted towards them and then away again, as well as the way that he subconsciously seemed to curl in on himself slightly. He was afraid of them, Kell and Elsa in particular, though he regarded Fier with no small amount of apprehension. Kell smirked. This one would be much easier to break.

Elsa began on the questions. "Who do you work for, and why were you sent here?"

"I'm not going to talk," the man answered shakily, staring at the wall.

Kell unsheathed his sword and stalked over to the prisoner. With his free hand, he hoisted the man up by his shirtfront.

"I think you will," Kell hissed. "Tel us what we want to know."

Shaking like a leaf in the wind, the man averted his eyes. "I'm not talking to witches like you."

Fier growled menacingly and the man shook even more.

"Suit yourself." Kell threw the man back against the wall. "It's your grave. Literally."

He raised a hand and gave his best approximation of a wicked smile. Slowly, responding to his will, the stone wall behind the man began to shift and move. First it moulded to the man's shape. Then, slowly, it began to creep around him, gradually encasing his body in stone. At the same time, the stone below his feet began to creep upwards, covering his boots, then his calves. When it reached his knees, the man shouted in surrender.

"I work for an organisation called The Darkness. The Eye sent us here to kill Queen Elsa!"

Kell flicked his wrist and the stone shrank back into the walls and floor. The prisoner sagged down to the bench in relief.

Elsa stepped forward. "Who is The Eye?"

The man shuddered. "The Eye is our leader. I don't know his name. No one does. I've never even seen him, but people say he wears a mask over his whole face so that no one can tell who he is."

"Why did he send you to kill Elsa?" Anna asked, folding her arms across her chest.

"We're supposed to kill everyone with…_other_ abilities. I don't know why."

Kell leaned forward. "Where is your base?"

The man hesitated. "It's-"

Then he began to gag and choke. He tried to clutch his throat with his cuffed hands. Kell ran to his side, sword ready in case it was some kind of trick. Before he could do anything to help, the man collapsed.

Kell leant down and placed his fingers against the man's neck, searching for a pulse. He couldn't find one. He looked up at the sisters, who were watching aghast. "He's dead."

"Dead?!" Elsa exclaimed. "How?!"

Kell shook his head. "No idea." He stood and walked towards the door, Fier on his heels. "You should have a professional examine him. In the meantime, there is no use for us here."

After a moment's hesitation, the other two followed them out of the cell.

Outside, the guard looked ready to burst through the door. As Elsa explained the commotion to him and sent for a coroner, Kell moved towards the last cell.

"Kell?" Anna moved to stand beside him. "We got a lot out of that last guy, you know, before he…" She shuddered. "Anyway, we learned more. We're probably not going to get anywhere new with the last one."

Kell didn't move. "It never hurts to be certain, especially in situations like this."

Elsa walked up behind them, having finished talking to the guard. "I agree. Let's see this last prisoner."

The last prisoner was seated on corner of the bench, his back to one wall and his side to another. As soon as they stepped through the door, his lip curled in disdain and he clenched his jaw shut as he set his back firmly against the stone wall. Kell pursed his lips. They weren't going to get far with this one.

Elsa began with the new information straight away. "Why does The Eye want to kill everyone with magical powers?"

The prisoner's eyes widened in surprise at the mention of The Eye, but they soon settled into narrow slits. "I'll tell you nothing."

Kell took a step forward, raising the naked sword that was still in his hand. "We know that The Eye and The Darkness are after people with powers. Why? Answer us!"

The man snorted derisively. "I don't answer to you. I answer only to The Eye."

"Are you that afraid of him?" Kell asked, trying to sound contemptuous. From what he could tell, all of the would-be assassins both feared and revered their leader, and this man was no exception. But there was something different about this one. He seemed to revere The Eye more than the others, judging by the way he spoke of him.

The prisoner laughed scornfully. "I do not refuse to answer out of fear. I fear The Eye, yes. All men should. But The Eye is a great leader, with a great vision. He will rid the earth of you unnatural scum, and create a new world! He will-"

The man began to jerk wildly in his seat. Anna moved to help him, but Kell held her back. His skin was tingling. There was something strange going on here.

Suddenly, the man stilled. When he sat up the four interrogators started in surprise. His eyes, previously grey, were now pitch black, sclera and all.

He smiled, and the sinister expression sent chills down Kell's spine. At his side, Fier bristled and snarled. –_There is dark magic here. _-

When the man spoke, the voice that came out was not his. This voice was far deeper, and it rumbled like thunder and reverberated like the echoes in a dark cave. "Greetings, Queen Elsa. I must apologise for not being able to greet you in person. For now, this soldier of mine will serve as a temporary messenger. I am The Eye."

Elsa inhaled sharply. Anna gasped loudly and Fier snarled.

Kell's eyes widened and he clenched his hand tighter around the handle of his sword. "What do you want with us?"

The Eye turned the prisoner's head towards Kell. "Ah yes. The earth user. I'm afraid I was unaware of your whereabouts when I sent my men to kill Queen Elsa. Had I known you would be nearby, I would have sent a larger force. I was aware of your existence of course, though I must admit that I do not know your name. Might you tell it to me?"

Kell eyed the chilling figure coldly. "I see no reason to divulge my name. Unless of course I'll be hearing yours in return."

The Eye laughed, the sound sinister and terrifying. "I'm afraid not. I'm rather fond of keeping my identity a secret. It is of no consequence; The Eye of The Darkness sees all. I will learn your name for myself in due time." He turned back to Elsa, who had to fight not to quail under his unsettling gaze. "You may have survived one attack, Queen Elsa, but rest assured; there will be more. Many more. For you _and_ the young earth wielder, as well as your cursed kin in Daestyl. Sooner or later I will succeed and you will all be dead, that I promise you."

The prisoner's body shook suddenly. After a moment, The Eye spoke again. "It appears I am needed elsewhere. Farewell, Queen Elsa."

The prisoner's head jerked back sharply, then fell forward as his body collapsed against the wall. The Eye was gone.

* * *

**So, how am I going so far? Am I doing okay with writing our beloved Frozen characters?**

**Review!**

**Until the next chapter, farewell.**


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